Water in ocean, sea and rivers offer plenty of energy but the technology to harvest the energy from water is still in the experimental stages. Wave, water currents and tidal energy converters are not yet fully exploited. One of the problem is the cost of such systems.
Existing technologies for WWEC systems require expensive investment in civil and mechanical systems to retain these systems in boisterous water during severe weather, WWEC systems face fierce forces on account of winds and associated water forces along coasts. The magnitude of forces that fierce winds and waves produce in large bodies of water can cause irreparable damage to the energy systems. Therefore WWEC systems require prohibitively expensive civil and mechanical structures to retain them in place during fierce storms.
Highways over water are built on extremely strong columns that are capable of withstanding fiercest wind and water forces. These columns would serve as inexpensive mounts for WWEC systems in this invention. This invention would turn thousands of bridge columns into duel-use columns: one use being the support of highway decks above, and the second being the support of WWEC systems below the highway decks.